The Commission for Art Recovery supports the creation of a legal mechanism in Europe for the restitution of such art works.

This is a European problem since the crimes of looting were perpetrated upon European soil and most of the works are still in European countries.

Indeed, many European state and national museums still display these trophies of war – illegally and forcefully taken from innocent people across the continent.

Sixty years after the war, we are running out of time. Holocaust survivors are old and are passing away on a daily basis while governments play with endless litigation which makes it impossible for individuals to achieve justice and claim their rightful heritage. Hungary, in particular, has shown great insensitivity to the issue of restitution of looted art There is a real opportunity for its new government to set things right and ensure justice is done.

The Commission for Art Recovery recognises it is difficult to harmonise individual national European laws. However, it is necessary to create a European legal framework for establishing the true provenance of all looted cultural works. We commend the European Parliament for taking the first steps towards this end.